On Giving Thanks

Throughout history, mankind has felt compelled to set aside a special day to pause, reflect and give thanks for the bounty it has been afforded by nature.

The festival of Thesmosphoria was celebrated by the Greeks each autumn on which third day, the women would make offers to the goddess Demeter of corn seeds, cakes, fruit, and pigs. It was hoped that Demeter's gratitude would grant them a good harvest.  The Romans also celebrated a harvest festival called Cerelia on October 4th each year, which honored Ceres, their goddess of grains. The festival featured offering of grains and fruits to Ceres as well as music, parades, games and sports and a thanksgiving feast.  Even as far back as the Egyptians, their civilization celebrated a harvest festival in honor of Min, their god of vegetation and fertility.

Fast forward to 1621. “After a hard and devastating first year in the New World the Pilgrim's fall harvest was very successful and plentiful. There was corn, fruits, vegetables, along with fish.The Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They built homes in the wilderness, they raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming winter, and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors.”

I wonder how many of us take time to reflect on Thanksgiving day to truly give thanks to mother nature, our families, friends, or even complete strangers for the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. I know it is hard at times, especially in this economy, to feel grateful. Unemployment is still high, finances are tough for many of us, the economy is still sluggish, we have sick relatives, children with learning disabilities, aging parents, high medical bills, and sometimes it is even difficult to put food on the table. The wilderness we face may be different than those of the Pilgrims, but it is still a wildereness we must conquer.  These challenges too shall pass, and we will share on the cornucopia of the bounty that will be placed before us.

Despite all the difficulties, I am happy to be alive. We must realize that each day is full of potential; a new beginning. As the Pilgrim fathers did, we must beat the odds. We must be grateful for small mercies, the bounty that is each and every one of us, and for the endless possibilities that come with each new dawn. I give thanks for today and every day, and for the opportunity to be the best I can be.  I give thanks for the lessons I have been given and the blessings of love and friendship I have in my life. 

One thing I know for certain is that all we have is today and that we must live it to the fullest, despite all the hardships we face, so that we can too harvest prosperity in our souls. It is this way, that we can reach the peace we need.  Though society may have turned the Thanksgiving Day celebration into something totally meaningless and commercial, we must strive to find the true meaning of giving thanks. It is not the turkey or the pumpkin pie that are important, but the fellowship and the time we share together.  G

Mary Jean Iron once wrote a beautiful passage entitled Let Me Hold You While I May that I first learned of from one of my heroes, Jill Conner Browne. Today, I want to share it with you. Please do not lose perspective on what is important. All we have is today, live it fully, and be grateful for the potential each day brings and with that potential, the difference we can make in each other's lives. Be thankful for this.  Once today is gone, the potential of tomorrow will never be the same. As your read this passage, think of individuals in your life, for they have lessons to teach you as well, and they are part of the bountiful harvest well all seek.

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return."

Have a blessed, safe and joyful Thanksgiving Holiday!  I will be giving thanks for the lessons of today and for the blessing of being alive.  Rest assured.

The Obesity Epidemic and the Corporate Leach

Look at these figures:

The National Center for Health statistics has been tracking America’s obesity problem for over four decades. The following statistics support the growing concern regarding the obesity problem in America:

-- Between 1962 and the year 2000, the number of obese Americans grew from 13% to an alarming 31% of the population.
-- 63% of Americans are overweight with a Body Mass Index (BMI) in excess of 25.0.
-- 31% are obese with a BMI in excess of 30.0.
-- Childhood obesity in the United States has more than tripled in the past two decades.
-- According to the U.S. Surgeon General report obesity is responsible for 300,000 deaths every year.

Okay now; everyone has spoken extensively about this subject, and how our school cafeterias are contributing to the alarming rate of childhood obesity in this country. ..and the “Super-size” craze in fast food. However, there is one area that to this day, no one has cared to elaborate on: the effect of the Corporate leach on obesity.

So what is the Corporate leach?, you may ask. Well, let me tell you: the insatiable desire of corporate America to keep their management staff on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Technology was supposed to allow us more free time to pursue other interests outside the office and give us more time with our families. That has not happened. If anything, customers and employers alike expect us to be available at their whim whenever they are not capable enough to get an answer by themselves. Why? Because they have not cared to read or learn the jobs of those people they supervise. I would never ask someone who worked for me to do something I could not do myself, but apparently that is not the case in our shrinking economy. With the continuous cuts in staffing levels, we all have to do our job plus one or two other’s as well. Everyone is multitasking… I say that in a way, that is a good thing because it encourages career development, but on the flip side of that coin, there is some sticky mess happening.

I personally work 10 hour days on a “normal” day, but since there are no more of those and my staff was cut from 4 to me, myself and I, there is only yours truly to answer to all stakeholders and everyone depends on me to get what they need. I am not alone. Others face the same challenges.

And let me tell you about those slackers who never read anything that is given to them. Why must they waste my time asking the same question they have been given answers to two days in advance? People are tired, not to mention not well trained enough to feel empowered or knowledgeable as to where to get the answers they seek. Workers are in such a rush to get the information they are procuring, that they do not realize that by wasting other people’s time, they are interfering with their limited but much needed "time off."

What about clients? I have had clients upset with me on the phone because I have not been at my desk at 9:00pm—yes, that means after dark—to answer their silly question that for some reason was a matter of life and death when they picked up the phone but when they repeated it to me after their much insulting tatter the next day, sound insanely moronic and stupid, not to mention immensely trivial? They could have sent an email or called the next day is all I am saying.

Those of us who work in customer service have been given a phone or a pager, a Black Berry and a laptop. Even though we are told not to take these items home so that we can achieve a much needed “balanced life”, God forbid we do not have them on when the boss calls or needs something “urgently” because they themselves do not know how to find the information or could not figure it out, or even wait until the next day (albeit it is 10:00 at night). The corporate world had fomented this. We are never truly “off the clock”, so afraid we are of the repercussions and the hell we’ll have to pay if the boss is displeased because they erroneously added 1+1 and got 15. I have found it is much easier to just tell them the whole story, regardless of how trivial, in any situation in order to avoid being accused of not doing my job, because really, as busy as they are as well, they are bound to reach the wrong conclusion 99% of the time. So you resign yourself to being “on-call” ...all the time.

Which brings me to the obesity portion of this program. Break, you ask? What is that? Do they still exist? Oh, you mean the 15 minutes we have to grab what ever hideous fat loaded menu they are serving in the cafeteria that day? Never mind your health…be grateful you don’t pay for it or at the very least you pay a minimal cost. Take what you are given and get happy. That is the mantra in many places of employment.  If I were to leave my office for the 30 minutes I am entitled to "rest", it would take me so long to drive, sit down to a healthy meal and drive back, that it is just easier to either bring my own lunch (despite I am paying for a meal at work) or just eat whatever is put in front of me, because I just do not have time for anything else. I do know for a fact that I am not alone on this.

Exercise? I know some people who have time for that. I used to have that time too. No more, chickens… My commute is one hour to work, and one our back. I live in the 4th largest city in the nation, so I did know that this would be a concern. I do get up at 5:00am in the morning, to at least have one healthy meal before I go to work. By the time I get home at night, I am so tired, that it is easier to buy something for dinner for my family on my way home than to actually prepare supper. I used to be able to make supper every night…and I was much lighter too.

Many of my dear friends have children. In order for those children to be able to play sports, take whatever lessons are fashionable at the time,  be it piano, soccer or German, do homework and spend some time at home, parents opt for buying dinner as well on the way back to the house, often making the poorest choices nutritionally. Why? because it is faster to go through a drive through.

And let me tell you about food prices at the market. Have you not noticed what the most economical items are?: pasta, rice, pizza and an infinite variety of starchy foods, which are major contributors to weight gain. I agree that carbohydrate loading is needed if you are doing a great deal of physical activity, but let’s be honest, how many of us who have families really have the time for a good workout outside the weekends? I refuse to get up at 4:00am in the morning and get only 5 hours of sleep just so I can go exercise. That is why I never take the elevator. Always walk and take the stairs when possible. That is my exercise…and I seem to be getting fatter every day.  Every week when I go to the market, I know I will have to pay more for less, as I buy mostly fresh vegetables and fruits, which cost of fortune and... very lean meats…antoher fortune.

So let me bring you full circle. Everyone wants a piece of your time. At some point the insanity must stop. I began not taking my Mobile home in the evenings or if I do, I turn it off. To hell with people who need me after I have left the office. People need to take responsibility and not pass the buck or blame others because they cannot do something. Everyone is so afraid in this economy to lose their jobs, that it is easier to cover their ass by saying they tried to contact someone and could not find them--something for which they ensure they have a paper trail—than to actually empower themselves to take care of an issue. I believe there should be a movement out there to stop this insanity of cutting more and more staff and another one to offer better and healthier choices for meals at work. The stress level does not help the weight loss cause…that fat around the belly thing is caused by this. It is time we all began to turn off the TV sets, sit down to a healthy meal with our families and remove that corporate leach when we get home. You can rest assured that you will not know who was trying to yank it,but you will the next day when you show up for work.